In June 2026, Montana bettors placed a total of $4.45 million on sports events, a 12.4 percent increase over the previous year, underscoring a growing appetite for legal wagering in the state.
The Monopoly Edge
Baseball continued to dominate the betting landscape, reflecting the summer sports calendar that places the baseball season at the forefront of bettors’ attention.
Soccer briefly climbed to second place, buoyed by the global World Cup, but industry observers expect a swift retreat once the fall sports seasons resume.
The state’s sports betting market operates under a single‑operator monopoly administered by the Montana Lottery, which captured 15.61 percent of the total wagered amount and maintains a higher hold percentage than the more fragmented, competitive markets found elsewhere.
Because the monopoly eliminates competing sportsbooks, promotional spend is limited and betting patterns remain steady, showing little sensitivity to marketing pushes or seasonal hype.
National operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel, while absent from Montana’s regulated market, illustrate the contrast between a consolidated state model and the broader U.S. landscape where multiple platforms vie for bettors.